Light Up

Light Up is track eight on Shadow Puppets, one of two albums released in February 2015 by Rachel Rose Mitchell. It was written on the piano in very late 2011 with the intention to film a performance of it and upload it to YouTube that year, though nothing came of that. It ended up put aside in the maybe pile for a long time. I tried putting together an arrangement heavy on electric organs but was ultimately unhappy with what I created.

Fast forward to the end of 2012. Not long after writing The Witching Hour I was playing around with the synths packaged with Cubase 6. The result was the into (and outtro) that is now a part of Light Up, but I had no idea how to progress with what I was making. I got about as far as the string quartet before getting stuck. After bumming around with the track open (a bit of useless trivia: the working title for the project was Fever Dreams) for a while I noticed that it was in C minor, the same key as that Light Up song I’d written a while ago. As a joke, I started chucking in some guitars and pads along the same chord progression as Light Up to see how dumb it would sound.

I shouldn’t joke. It always sticks.

Up until that point I was thinking Fever Dreams would turn into a very dark, very atmospheric sort of track. The upbeat nature of Light Up was only intended to make myself giggle at how out of place it sounded juxtaposed with that long, drawling intro. So you can imagine my surprise when it up and worked.

So I made the whole song. All of it. Out of a dumb joke no one was ever meant to hear. WELP.

Lyrics:

I used to understand you.
No, that’s misleading, I still do.
You’ve always been so proud of
this hurricane that follows you.

You’re demanding, outstanding,
you’re high above the rest
and you love to let everybody know.
And you’re the Queen Bee and we’ll see
you’re nothing but the best
and you never let it go.

It’s never been in question
whether you have got direction,
but you need to stay grounded.
It’s for everyone’s protection.
You’re laughing at this dance,
but you don’t understand the circumstance.
I’m running out of reasons
to give you another chance
so light up.

It’s all about the pretense.
It’s all about the imaginary.
It’s all about the showmanship,
so when you lose out you walk free.

You’re drowning in the ocean!
You won’t let anybody hear you shout.
You know that if they heard you,
they might just try to help you out.

And you’re outstanding, demanding
that everybody sees
you’re the greatest liar
still at large.
And you’re destructive, conductive
to electricity
and you
CHARGE.

It’s never been in question
whether you have got direction,
but you need to stay grounded.
It’s for everyone’s protection.
You’re laughing at this dance,
but you don’t understand the circumstance.
I’m running out of reasons
to give you another chance
so

Light up your darkened thoughts now.
Look back upon all you’ve wrought now.
Light up your darkened dreaming.
Ignore the ghosts. Ignore their screaming.
Light up your poisonous plans.
Your fate is out of your hands.
Yesterday won’t come back to you
so try to think things through.

It’s never been in question
whether you have got direction,
but you need to stay grounded.
It’s for everyone’s protection.
You’re laughing at this dance,
but you don’t understand the circumstance.
I’m running out of reasons
to give you another chance.

It’s never been in question
whether you have got direction,
but you need to stay grounded.
It’s for everyone’s protection.
You’re laughing at this dance,
but you don’t understand the circumstance.
I’m running out of reasons
to give you another chance
so

Light up your darkened thoughts now.
Look back upon all you’ve wrought now.
Light up your darkened dreaming.
Ignore the ghosts. Ignore their screaming.
Light up your poisonous plans.
Your fate is out of your hands.
Yesterday won’t come back to you
so try to think things through

and light up

23 year old singer/songwriter from Melbourne, Australia. Possible fairy princess.